You Don't Look Mexican

Rooted in Two Worlds: Isaiah Archuleta

Erica Abduelal Season 1 Episode 1

Welcome to the debut episode of "You Don't Look Mexican"! I'm thrilled to kick off this journey with our first guest, Isaiah Archuleta, where we dive deep into Isaiah's unique perspective as a fifth-generation American whose identity straddles the line between cultures. We'll explore the complexities of feeling "not American enough" for the U.S. while simultaneously feeling disconnected from his Mexican roots. This episode promises to be a poignant exploration of what it means to be caught between two worlds, neither fully American nor Mexican, but a beautiful blend of both.

In this episode, I reference Isaiah's family potentially living in Texas when it was still Mexico.  I have included some historical notes below:
In the early 19th century, vast territories in what is now the southwestern United States were part of Mexico. This included present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The region was initially part of New Spain, then Mexico after its independence in 1821. However, tensions between American settlers and the Mexican government, combined with the desire for territorial expansion, led to conflict. The annexation of Texas in 1845 and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

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